As the year draws to a close so does the long-running copyright battle over hit song Blurred Lines which has finally ended. In a Christmas present that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams could have done without a California Court has confirmed that Blurred Lines is indeed a copyright infringement of Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit ‘Got…

Lush Cosmetics has lost a trade mark battle after its opposition to a logo mark applied for by food manufacturer, Tasty Snacks was denied. Last week, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) ruled that Tasty’s application for a red and gold mark, with the word ‘LUSH’ in white writing, for “snacks consisting of mixtures of…

The popular music streaming site and app is facing claims of copyright infringement by famed Californian rock and roll photographer Neil Zlozower over its alleged use of a photograph of the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe on its web player. Zlozower has filed a copyright infringement claim in New York against Spotify claiming that…

Yes, you can. Well, in the US, anyway. The patent granted protection for a Christmas Stocking, as shown above, which would “signal the arrival of Santa Claus by illuminating externally visible light…having a power source located within…the device”. But would something like this be patentable in the UK? The answer may not be as simple…

This is probably the most effective and straightforward piece of legal advice you can get – get it in writing! This is true regardless of what stage of your career you are at, or even what industry you are in – as soon as you enter into agreements with other people, and rely on them…

Lightly grilled with a slice of lemon, the somewhat squeaky Cypriot cheese of halloumi is much loved in the UK. However, Cyprus has just suffered a major blow in its protection for the name of this delicious cheese by failing to successfully defend three invalidity actions against its UK trade marks. Described as a “black…

We are in a generation where the technology has come on leaps and bounds, and the law is trying to play catch up. The EU is looking to tackle this by changing copyright law to keep up with the current technological advances. However, the pending EU Copyright Directive has come up against a number of…

In this chapter we explore the manner in which the European Court of Justice has expanded the scope of protection enjoyed by trade mark owners beyond all recognition, made the law difficult to understand and apply and by so doing provided jobs for life for trade mark lawyers. Once upon a time the function of…

He’s not just about golf and he’s not just the patron saint of Scotland. St Andrew is also the patron saint of Greece, Russia, Italy’s Amalfi and Barbados. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s the patron saint of singers, spinsters, maidens, fishmongers, fishermen, women wanting to be mothers, gout and sore throats too! Nevertheless, St…

Street Art comes in many shapes and sizes, from discrete pieces which disappear into the urban background, to breathtakingly spectacular murals which cover entire buildings. Some forms of Street Art are occasionally accused of vandalism or trespassing – nevertheless it is also beyond question that Street Art is also art. In fact Street Art is…

It looks like Tesla Inc’s founder could be heading for another head on crash. This time instead of with US regulators and short sellers of Tesla’s stock it’s with Mexico’s tequila council. This potential collision is as a result of Musk’s attempts (through Tesla Inc) to gain trade mark protection for the mark ‘Teslaquila’ for…

A business generating significant revenue doesn’t automatically entitle that business to survive the next 12 months – business must also ensure that cash flowing into the business is greater than expenditure, over a given period of time. However, businesses seeking to obtain IP protection in the early stages of development may wonder how a positive…